Ice water content in the atmosphere is defined as the concentration of ice particles in the atmosphere. Certain regions of the atmosphere tend to have higher ice water content than other regions.
Regions of the atmosphere with low ice water content may be safer to the flight of aircraft. As an example, high ice water content may be linked to ice crystal icing events within engines of aircraft. Such an ice crystal icing engine event occurs when concentrations of ice particles in the air melt after entering an aircraft engine and refreeze on surfaces of the engine, resulting in an effect on engine operating characteristics. More specifically, an ice crystal icing engine event can be defined as when glaciated or mixed phase cloud particles (e.g., lacking significant amounts of supercooled liquid and airframe icing) are accreted within the engine. Such events inside the engine can cause degradation of the engine.